Mayor Shin Sangjin Seeks Urban Regeneration Solutions in Italy... Envisions 'Seongnam-Style Innovation Model'

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin Seeks Urban Regeneration Solutions Combining Private Investment and Advanced Industries
Visits Regeneration Sites in Bergamo, Milan and Bologna, Italy
Envisions Connecting the Old City Center and New Town and Creating Future Industry Hubs
Mayor Shin Sangjin: "We Will Deliver Innovative Urban Regeneration That Improves Quality of Life"

Shin Sangjin, mayor of Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, has visited urban regeneration sites in major Italian cities in succession, seeking to develop a “Seongnam-style urban regeneration model” that combines private investment, advanced industries and citizen participation.

Mayor Shin Sangjin visits ChorusLife, a privately led hub development project in Bergamo, Italy, on the 12th (local time). Provided by Seongnam City.

Seongnam City said on October 16 that Mayor Shin, who is touring Europe, visited urban regeneration sites in Bergamo, Milan and Bologna, Italy, from October 12 to 15 to examine ways to repurpose aging industrial facilities, reorganize urban spaces and link them with advanced industries.

The visit was organized to explore an approach to urban regeneration that moves beyond existing methods reliant on public finances, makes use of private investment and advanced technologies, and enables residents to experience change in their daily lives.

On October 12 (local time), Mayor Shin visited ChorusLife, a mixed-use urban regeneration district in Bergamo.

ChorusLife transformed an aging industrial site into a mixed-use complex featuring a multipurpose arena, shopping center and hotel. The project is notable for being developed primarily with private capital and for incorporating pedestrian-oriented plazas, green spaces and smart technologies.

During the visit, Mayor Shin examined the urban regeneration approach using private investment and the project implementation process, emphasizing the importance of practicality and swift execution.

On October 13, he visited Porta Nuova, one of Milan’s major urban regeneration projects.

Seongnam Mayor Shin Sangjin visits the Porta Nuova project site in Milan, Italy, on the 13th (local time), where the old and new city centers coexist seamlessly. Provided by Seongnam City.

Porta Nuova transformed an urban area once divided by railway facilities and vacant land into a mixed-use district combining offices, housing, retail, culture and parks. It is regarded as an example of improving the city’s spatial structure by connecting the existing city center with a newly developed area.

“Like Milan, which overcame the divide between the past and the present and between disconnected spaces while achieving harmony between old and new buildings, Seongnam, too, must become an organically connected living area where the old city center and the new town are in harmony,” Mayor Shin said.

On October 15, he visited Tecnopolo, an advanced research complex in Bologna, to examine how industrial heritage can be transformed into a future growth engine.

Tecnopolo repurposed a former tobacco factory into an advanced research cluster built on digital technologies, including supercomputing, big data and artificial intelligence (AI).

He took particular note of how the site uses its industrial facilities as spaces for engaging with residents, including by opening advanced research facilities to the public and holding a festival of future innovation.

Seongnam City plans to draw on the approaches observed during the visit when developing future urban regeneration policies, including private-sector-led mixed-use development, spatial connections between the old city center and new town, and regeneration that combines advanced industries with citizen participation.

A view of the Porta Nuova project site, where the old and new downtown areas coexist seamlessly. Provided by Seongnam City.

“The goal is not simply to construct buildings and be done with it, but to bring advanced industries into our historical heritage and return the results and vision for the future to our citizens,” Mayor Shin said. “We will bring to life practical, tangible urban regeneration in Seongnam by integrating private-sector dynamism, advanced technologies and citizen participation.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.